Unity Game Development in 24 Hours, Sams Teach Yourself

by Mike Geig

Overview

In just 24 lessons of one hour or less, Sams Teach Yourself Unity Game Development in 24 Hours will help you master the Unity 2021 game engine at the heart of Inside, Kerbal Space Program, Subnautica, and many other sizzling-hot games! This book's straightforward, step-by-step approach teaches you everything from the absolute basics through sophisticated game physics, animation, and mobile device deployment techniques. Every lesson builds on what you've already learned, giving you a rock-solid foundation for real-world success.

* Step-by-step instructions carefully walk you through the most common Unity game development tasks.
* Four sample game projects illustrate the topics.
* Practical, hands-on examples show you how to apply what you learn.
* Quizzes and exercises help you test your knowledge and stretch your skills.
* Notes and Tips point out shortcuts and solutions.

Learn how to...
* Get up and running fast with the Unity 2021 game engine and editor
* Work efficiently with Unity's graphical asset pipeline
* Make the most of lights and cameras
* Sculpt stunning worlds with Unity's terrain and environmental tools
* Script tasks ranging from capturing input to building complex behaviors
* Quickly create repeatable, reusable game objects with prefabs
* Implement easy, intuitive game user interfaces
* Control players through built-in and custom character controllers
* Build realistic physical and trigger collisions
* Leverage the full power of Unity's Animation and Timeline systems
* Integrate complex audio into your games
* Use mobile device accelerometers and multi-touch displays
* Build engaging 2D games with Unity's 2D tools and Tilemap
* Apply the "finishing touches"and deploy your games

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780137445080
Publisher:	Pearson Education
Publication date:	11/15/2021
Series:	Sams Teach Yourself
Edition description:	4th ed.
Pages:	464
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 9.05(h) x 1.15(d)

About the Author

Mike Geig works on the production team at Unity Technologies, where he helps democratize game development by developing and delivering high-impact learning resources. Mike has experience as an indie game developer, a university educator, and an author. A gamer at heart, Mike works to make the development of interactive entertainment fun and accessible for all skill sets. Hi, Mom!

Table of Contents

Preface xi
Hour 1: Introduction to Unity
Installing Unity
Getting to Know the Unity Editor
Navigating the Unity Scene View
Summary
Q&A
Workshop
Exercise
Hour 2: Game Objects
Dimensions and Coordinate Systems
Game Objects
Transforms
Summary
Q&A
Workshop
Exercise
Hour 3: Models, Materials, and Textures
The Basics of Models
Textures, Shaders, and Materials
Summary
Q&A
Workshop
Exercise
Hour 4: Terrain and Environments
Terrain Generation
Terrain Textures
Generating Trees and Grass
Character Controllers
Summary
Q&A
Workshop
Exercise
Hour 5: Lights and Cameras
Lights
Cameras
Layers
Summary
Q&A
Workshop
Exercise
Hour 6: Game 1: Amazing Racer
Design
Creating the Game World
Gamification
Playtesting
Summary
Q&A
Workshop
Exercise
Hour 7: Scripting, Part 1
Scripts
Variables
Operators
Conditionals
Iteration
Summary
Q&A
Workshop
Exercise
Hour 8: Scripting, Part 2
Methods
Input
Accessing Local Components
Accessing Other Objects
Summary
Q&A
Workshop
Exercise
Hour 9: Collision
Rigidbodies
Enabling Collision
Triggers
Raycasting
Summary
Q&A
Workshop
Exercise
Hour 10: Game 2: Chaos Ball
Design
The Arena
Game Entities
The Control Objects
Improving the Game
Summary
Q&A
Workshop
Exercise
Hour 11: Prefabs
Prefab Basics
Working with Prefabs
Summary
Q&A
Workshop
Exercise
Hour 12: 2D Game Tools
The Basics of 2D Games
Orthographic Cameras
Adding Sprites
Draw Order
2D Physics
Summary
Q&A
Workshop
Exercise
Hour 13: 2D Tilemaps
The Basics of Tilemaps
Palettes
Tiles
Tilemaps and Physics
Summary
Q&A
Workshop
Exercise
Hour 14: User Interfaces
Basic UI Principles
The Canvas
UI Elements
Canvas Render Modes
Summary
Q&A
Workshop
Exercise
Hour 15: Game 3: Captain Blaster
Design
The World
Controls
Improvements
Summary
Q&A
Workshop
Exercise
Hour 16: Particle Systems
Particle Systems
Particle System Modules
The Curves Editor
Summary
Q&A
Workshop
Exercise
Hour 17: Animations
Animation Basics
Animation Types
Animation Tools
Summary
Q&A
Workshop
Exercise
Hour 18: Animators
Animator Basics
Configuring Your Assets
Creating an Animator
Scripting Animators
Summary
Q&A
Workshop
Exercise
Hour 19: Timeline
Timeline Basics
Working with Timelines
Going Beyond Simple Control
Summary
Q&A
Workshop
Exercise
Hour 20: Game 4: Gauntlet Runner
Design
The World
The Entities
The Controls
Room for Improvement
Summary
Q&A
Workshop
Exercise
Hour 21: Audio
Audio Basics
Audio Sources
Audio Scripting
Audio Mixers
Summary
Q&A
Workshop
Exercise
Hour 22: Mobile Development
Preparing for Mobile
Accelerometers
Summary
Q&A
Workshop
Exercise
Hour 23: Polish and Deploy
Managing Scenes
Persisting Data and Objects
Unity Player Settings
Building Your Game
Summary
Q&A
Workshop
Exercise
Hour 24: Wrap-up
Accomplishments
Where to Go from Here
Resources Available to You
Summary
Q&A
Workshop
Exercise


9780137445080 TOC 9/14/2021